Despite shortcomings, Muslims Most Civilised in the World – 9 Sexual Abuse of Children

bismi-lLahi-rRahmani-rRahiemIn the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

=== News Update ===

Despite shortcomings, Muslims Most Civilised in the World – 9 Sexual Abuse of Children

Civilised versus Uncivilised Sexual Behaviour (contd)

— They must learn as early as possible in their lives what sex and sexuality are all about. Only then will they become fit citizens of the New World…… An estimated 325000 US children of age 17 or younger are prostitutes, performers in pornographic videos or have crumbled to commercial sexual exploitation (University of Pennsylvania).—

Dr Javed Jamil*

A Note for the readers

I am thankful for the huge interest that the readers are taking in this series. As the articles are being written and immediately circulated, occasionally there may be some incoherencies. There are some hardcore proponents of West who have felt offended with what is emerging. This is obvious as they have known only one side of the picture and they tend to think that political and economic power and the ability to intimidate the world are all that make a country/group of countries/societies civilised. We will also be comparing the statistics, like Life Expectancy, Educational level and Per Capita Income which are considered to be the forte of the Western world.

I will also like to make it clear that if the statistics related to Western societies emerge as horrible, I hold the system and the ideology and the forces behind them and not the people responsible for them. Society is the product of the system in which they live. People all over the world have similar strengths and weaknesses; it is the system and the forces that nurture or suppress these strengths and weaknesses.

Continuing with the development of Grand Table of Civilisation, here is what we have analysed till now:

Table of Comparison of Criteria of CivilizationCriteria Western World Muslim WorldMurder Rate Extremely High Extremely LowRapes Extremely High Extremely LowIncarceration Rate Extremely High Extremely LowKillings in Wars Extremely High Extremely LowTerrorism/counter-terrorism Hardly 4000 More than 1 millionChildren born out of wedlock Extremely High (30-53%) RareAbortions (Induced) Extremely High (25-50%) Extremely LowDivorce Rate Extremely High (25-50%) Low (1-12%)Children with Single Parents Extremely High Low

Children being in no position to influence, they are the worst victims of “Sexual Revolution”. As children grow, the chances of their abuse grow. Their problem is that their plight is mostly invisible. This is particularly true for those children where signs of abuse are not visible on simple examination. These include cases of neglect and sexual abuse. In the latter case, shame often overtakes them preventing them from reporting. Often they fear the abusers so much that they would prefer to remain tight-lipped. Naturally, the official statistics about the abuse of children are nothing more than the tip of an iceberg. Media also tend to complicate matters. It has been argued that if, according to some reports, there appears to be a decreasing trend in the cases of child abuse, it does not necessarily mean that people have been learning to behave. It may in fact be due to the growing tendency of adults hiding their abusive actions for fear of being stigmatised. The National Incidence of Child Abuse and Neglect reported that the number of cases of child abuse doubled from 1.4 million in 1986 to 2.8 million in 1992. The number of cases with serious injuries during that period quadrupled from 143000 to 570000. The report accepted that “there is certainly a reason to suppose the number of cases of actual abuse might be rising, since child abuse could be expected to rise when drug and alcohol abuse were increasing and when broken homes were becoming more complex.” The number of child abuse fatalities has also shown an increasing trend with more than a thousand deaths every year in the US.

Child abuse has fortuitously attracted sincere attention in the Western countries. This is not entirely due to love for them. Had love been the only factor, feticide must have had received a much greater attention. The big business knows that there are always certain elements in society that are afflicted with the mania to unearth societal problems. To manoeuvre them is easier than silencing them. Grants of funds by funding agencies for specified agenda keep these restive souls busy and satisfied. The agenda for them is approved with the explicit or tacit approval of forces that rule. By concentrating more on Child Abuse, attention can be diverted from women’s abuse.. The worst form of course is sexual abuse. And sexual abuse is not limited to abuse by family members. This has become a big sociolegal problem at the global level. An estimated one million children, mostly girls, according to UNICEF, enter the sex trade each year. A report suggests that one in five adolescent girls become the victim of physical or sexual abuse, or both, in a dating relationship. Globally, at least one in three women and girls had been beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. (UN Commission on the Status of Women). In Uganda, HIV infection is 6 times higher among young girls than boys with the difference in rates beginning as early as 9 years old. This is due to old men seeking younger girls for sexual exploitation. An estimated 325000 US children of age 17 or younger are prostitutes, performers in pornographic videos or have crumbled to commercial sexual exploitation (University of Pennsylvania).Richard Estes has been reported as saying that “the depth of the problem almost took my breath away at times.” According to this report published in USA

Children pornography

Today dated 09/09/2001, children pornography originates in three ways. First is the group of those children who have run away from home and turned to prostitution or pornography to get money for food and drugs. The second group is of children who live at home and are used by family or friends in exchange of money, drugs or other benefits. The third group is of children that have been abandoned by parents and guardians and turned to sex trade to survive. The report says that 90% of these children are born in the US. According to the UN estimates, one million children are drawn into prostitution annually. These include 100,000 children and women in Philippines, 400,000 in India, 200,000 in Thailand and 100,000 in Taiwan. The extent of the problem can be further gauged from the estimates that there are over 40,000 individual URLs containing child pornography, paedophilia and pro-paedophilia content on Internet.

The figures given above seem to be too disturbing to believe. But the reality is surely far, not less, worse. Pugwashes are organised, survey reports presented and resolutions passed. Hard speeches are made. Like the one when UNICEF Executive Director Caol Bellamy thundered: “The commercial sexual exploitation and abuse of children is nothing less than a form of terrorism-—one whose wanton destruction of young lives and futures must not be tolerated for another year, another day, another hour…..Millions of children throughout the world are being bought and sold like chattel and used as sex slaves…”Hard statement really! Had Bushes and Blairs listened to him and waged a war against commercial sex in a way they have been doing against “terrorism”, the problem would have surely minimised, if not finished. But the problem continues with an upward trend and it is expected to continue not for minutes, hours, days or months but for decades; maybe, forever. Tears are flown for women and children; but measures mooted are hardly of any significance compared to the scale and extent of the problem. They are too soft to have any worthwhile effect. Even if these measures are honestly put into practice, there may be some visible changes. But they soon become embedded in the tonnes of files stored in offices and libraries. Children continue to be harassed, exploited, sexually abused and trafficked because the benefits from this are huge for the business. And where business matters, nothing else does.

Children who have been fortunate enough to survive physical or sexual abuse would not be left alone. They too would not be allowed to grow into normal human beings. If they have not entered the sex trade as prostitutes or pornographic actors, they must at least watch pornography. If they have succeeded in avoiding physical abuse, they cannot be permitted to avoid psychological abuse. This is the minimum they are required to do as the cost of being born in the free world. They must learn as early as possible in their lives what sex and sexuality are all about. Only then will they become fit citizens of the New World. Where entertainment is the keyword and the key to the most exhilarating entertainment is sex. They have all kinds of avenues open to them: cinema, TV, VCR, and above all, Net. According to surveys, 53% of teens have encountered offensive websites that include pornography, hate and violence. When sex is all around in the air, sights of naked women are common, couples can be seen everywhere lip-kissing and hugging, fellow-friends are talking nothing but sex, who can overcome the temptation to watch sex action? Almost all the students have computers and access to Internet these days; and they have sufficient time after schools to surf Net without being watched by parents. This is hardly surprising then that children become adults mentally much earlier than they do physically. And still less surprising is that they become adult practically much earlier than they do legally.

Here are some important statistics regarding Sexual Abuse of Children:

·Almost 53,000 children died worldwide in 2002 as a result of homicide.

·150 million girls and 73 million boys under 18 experienced forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence during 2002.

·Estimates from 2000 suggest that 1.8 million children were forced into prostitution and pornography, and 1.2 million were victims of trafficking. (Above statistics from World Report on Violence against Children 2006)

·In 1995, local child protective service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse; of these, 75% were girls. Nearly 30% of child victims were between the ages of 4 and7. [Dept. of Health and Human Services, Child Maltreatment, 1995]

·The earlier studies found that one-third of juvenile delinquents, 40 percent of sexual offenders and 76 percent of serial rapists report they were sexually abused as youngsters.” [Dr. William C. Holmes of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.”

·Holmes said a review of the studies leads him to believe that 10 percent to 20 percent of all boys are sexually abused in some way. But widely varying definitions of sexual abuse in the studies and differences in who was being studied make it difficult to accurately gauge the prevalence of sexual abuse, he said. (Dr. William C. Holmes of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.)

·It is estimated that there are 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in America today. Source: Forward, 1993

·“1,500 children die from abuse each year. There are 140,000 injuries to children from abuse each year. There are 1.7 million reports of child abuse each year.” (Mental Health journal)

·…about 1 in 4 women in North America were molested in childhood.” (Mental Health journal)

·More than 2 million cases of child abuse and neglect are reported each year in the United States. An estimated 150,000 to 200,000 new cases of

·The United Nations says one million children are drawn into prostitution annually. It estimates that 100,000 children and women in the Philippines, 400,000 in India, 100,000 in Taiwan, 200,000 in Thailand are subject to commercial sexual exploitation in the region. (CNN.com, 17.12,01)

SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN: More Statistics

• In 1995, local child protective service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse; of these, 75% were girls. Nearly 30% of child victims were between the ages of 4 and7. [Dept. of Health and Human Services, Child Maltreatment, 1995]• Approximately, one-third of all juvenile victims of sexual abuse cases are children younger than 6 years of age. [Violence and the Family. Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, 1996]• “The earlier studies found that one-third of juvenile delinquents, 40 percent of sexual offenders and 76 percent of serial rapists report they were sexually abused as youngsters.” [Dr. William C. Holmes of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.” • “The suicide rate among sexually abused boys was 1½ to 14 times higher, and reports of multiple substance abuse among sixth-grade boys who were molested was 12 to 40 times greater.” [Dr. William C. Holmes of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.” • “Holmes said a review of the studies leads him to believe 10 percent to 20 percent of all boys are sexually abused in some way. But widely varying definitions of sexual abuse in the studies and differences in who was being studied make it difficult to accurately gauge the prevalence of sexual abuse, he said.” Dr. William C. Holmes of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.”

IMPACT OF SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN

• 67% of victims of sexual assault were juveniles (under age 18); 34% of sexual assault victims were under age 12 1 of every 7 victims of sexual assault were under age 6. (Bureau of Social Justice.)• It is estimated that there are 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in America today.Source: Forward, 1993• Approximately 31% of women in prison state that they had been abused as children. Source: United States. Department of Justice, 1991.• Approximately 95% of teenage prostitutes have been sexually abused. Source: CCPCA, 1992. • Children with disabilities are 4 to 10 times more vulnerable to sexual abuse than their non-disabled peers. (National Resource Centre on Child)• Long term effects of child abuse include fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, inappropriate sexual behaviour, poor self esteem, tendency toward substance abuse and difficulty with close relationships. .Source: Browne & Finkelhor, 1986.• Clinical findings of adult victims of sexual abuse include problems in interpersonal relationships associated with an underlying mistrust. Generally, adult victims of incest have a severely strained relationship with their parents marked by feelings of mistrust, fear, ambivalence, hatred, and betrayal. These feelings may extend to all family members..Source: Tsai and Wagner, 1978.• Guilt is universally experienced by almost all victims. Courtois and Watts described the “sexual guilt” as “guilt derived from sexual pleasure.” (Tsai and Wagner, l978.)• Sexual victimisation may profoundly interfere with and alter the development of attitudes toward self, sexuality, and trusting relationships during the critical early years of development.. Source: Tsai & Wagner, 1984.• Adolescents with a history of sexual abuse are significantly more likely than their counterparts to engage in sexual behaviour that puts them at risk for HIV infection, according to Dr. Larry K. Brown and associates, Rhode Island Hospital, in Providence.• Young girls who are forced to have sex are three times more likely to develop psychiatric disorders or abuse alcohol and drugs in adulthood, than girls who are not sexually abused. Sexual abuse was also more strongly linked with substance abuse than with psychiatric disorders….sexual abuse may lead some girls to become sexually active at an earlier age and seek out older boyfriends who might, in turn, introduce them to drugs. Psychiatric disorders were from 2.6 to 3.3 times more common among women whose CSA included intercourse, and the risk of substance abuse was increased more than fourfold,. Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D., et al, Medical College of Virginia Commonwealth University)• Girls are sexually abused three times more often than boys; (Mental Health Journal)• “1,500 children die from abuse each year. There are 140,000 injuries to children from abuse each year. There are 1.7 million reports of child abuse each year.” (Mental Health journal)• “…about 1 in 4 women in North America were molested in childhood.” (Mental Health journal)• “More than 2 million cases of child abuse and neglect are reported each year in the United States. An estimated 150,000 to 200,000 new cases of sexual abuse occur each year.” (Mental Health journal)• “…approximately 1 in 7 males will have been sexually molested before the age of 18. (Mental Health journal)

CHILDREN IN SEX TRADE

• An estimated 325,000 U.S. children age 17 or younger are prostitutes, performers in pornographic videos or have otherwise fallen victim to “commercial sexual exploitation (USA Today,9.9.2001)• The largest group, about 122,000, is made up of children who have run away from home and turned to prostitution or pornography to get money for food or drugs. • The second-largest group, about 73,000, is made up of children who live at home and are used by family or friends in exchange for money, food, drugs or other benefits.• The third-largest group, about 52,000, is made up of “throwaway” children who have been abandoned by parents or guardians and turned to the sex trade to survive.• About 90% of the children are born in the USA (USA Today,9.9.2001)• The United Nations says one million children are drawn into prostitution annually. It estimates that 100,000 children and women in the Philippines, 400,000 in India, 100,000 in Taiwan, 200,000 in Thailand are subject to commercial sexual exploitation in the region. (CNN.com, 17.12,01)• It is difficult to estimate how many people are working in prostitution because so many women working as waitresses, hotel maids, salesclerks, bar girls, and golf caddies are forced into prostitution as part of their work. • In Thailand, it has been estimated that at least 200,000 women and children work in prostitution. At least one-third of Thai prostitutes are under the age of 18, and most adult prostitutes started when they were only children. Children as young as six years old work in prostitution. Prostitutes are primarily women and girls, although some men and boys also work in prostitution. (Third World Women’s Health)

Sexual assault by bodily force (most recent) by country Showing latest available data.

I could not find any country wise statistics on sexual abuse of children. However, it is clear that the problem is extremely severe in most of the Western countries, several African countries and South Asian countries. It is also abundantly clear that sexual abuse is relatively uncommon in Muslim countries. It is not to say that this is nonexistent in Muslim societies but it is much less both in terms of the extent and degree of abuse. The reasons are simple:1. In Western societies, family disintegration has left children unprotected. In Muslim societies, families act as shields for children; many of the children have to pass their lives with the boyfriends/husbands of their mothers. These “forced fathers” are more likely to abuse the children of their girlfriends/wives. 2. In Western countries, the laws are too much tilted in favour of criminals with mild punishments for most of the crimes. In countries where Islamic Law is in force, the punishments are very severe;3. With the kind of sexuality that has developed in West on account of the so-called “Sexual Revolution” and widespread network of pornography and prostitution, abuse of women and children is the natural outcome.4. In Islam, sexual encounters outside marriage are regarded such a big sin that they have a much greater feeling of guilt after committing these acts than their counterparts of the Western World. They are more likely to give up these habits as they grow.

In short it can be said that Muslim societies are much more civilised in their treatment to children:1. They do not abort them as often as Westerners; most of the times they do it, it is for medical reasons; hardly if ever their children are the products of their lust rather than legitimate love;2. They do not leave them to live in single parent families; if at all they do it on account of the divorce or the death of a parent, the extended families provide them love and security;3. They do not sexually abuse children to the extent and degree of the West;4. They breastfeed them more often for the medically advisable period of two years, which is also what is prescribed in the Qur’an;5. There is rare chance of children in Muslim countries being pushed in sex trade.

* Dr Javed Jamil is Executive Chairman, International Centre for Applied Islamics, and Chief Editor, “Islam, Muslims & the World”. He is also author of more than a dozen books including “Islam means Peace”, “The Essence of the Divine Verses”, “The Killer Sex”, “Rediscovering the Universe”, “The Devil of Economic Fundamentalism” and “Islamic Model for Control of AIDS”. Also has more than 200 articles and papers to his credit. He can be reached at doctorforu123@yahoo.com

————————————————————————————————————–

Mission of Global-Right-Path is to Educate Muslim Ummah in the light of the Quraan and Authentic Hadeeth, to face all the internal and external challenges, as well as to become a Great Revolutionized Leader to work for Global Revolution to serve the humanity in a balanced way to stabilize the Global World.http://global-right-path.webs.com

===

-muslim voice-
______________________________________BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW